The International Monetary Fund is an organization of 187 countries, working to foster global monetary cooperation, secure financial stability, facilitate international trade, promote high employment and sustainable economic growth, and reduce poverty around the world.

About the International Monetary Fund

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) was conceived in 1944 when representatives of 45 countries agreed on a framework for international economic cooperation. It came into formal existence in 1945 when its first 29 member countries signed the Articles of Agreement, and began operations on 1 March 1947. As of today, there are 187 member countries.

The IMF's fundamental mission is to help ensure stability in international monetary systems. It does so in three ways: tracking the global economy and the economies of member countries, lending to countries with balance-of-payments difficulties, and giving practical help to members.

The IMF is headquartered in Washington, DC. It has regional offices in Europe and in Asia and the Pacific, and representative offices in its member countries.

The IMF and CAREC

The IMF is one of the six multilateral institutions that support CAREC. It actively participates in institutional events, such as the ministerial conferences and senior officials meetings, as well as in sector coordinating committees’ meetings.

The IMF monitors the economic and financial policies of all 10 CAREC member countries—Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, the People's Republic of China, Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Mongolia, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. It also produces studies on trade facilitation and trade policy.